MR TOCKER AND NO-LICENSE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10108, 1 October 1910, Page 5

MR TOCKER AND NO-LICENSE.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—L have to-day received a copy of your paper of Saturday last, in which I am attacked by a Mr J. J. Kelliher in connection with my recent address in Stratford on "The Effects of No-License in Mastertou." Since reading the letter, I have been trying to imagine what the writer really Is—humorist, fool, ungentlemanly, or, metaphorically speaking, one of the pack of liquor dogs into the midst of which a chance stone lias been thrown, and hence the yelling. I shrewdly suspect the latter. At any rate, all this barking is being carried on at the wrong tree. For it is occasioned by a copied newspaper report. Now that report was not a "verbatim" one, but a > condensed summary; and, let me add, a very jumbled and misleading one. Mr Kelliher should know that speeches are frequently mutilated by being so condensed. For instance, that offensive phrase—as offensive to me as to anyone—"God's own truth," with which Mr Kelliher vainly tries to string his criticism ' into relevance and coherence, is none of mine. Nor did I use the facts of the opening of the new gasworks, the Northern Approach, the new Freezing Works, and the new A. and P. showground in a manner even approaching that which he assumes. As to my reference to the drainage works, I simply ' quoted from the Dominion of August 20th, as follows: —"At a meeting of ratepayers held in the Town Hall to-night, the proposal of the Borough Council to raise a loan of £31,000 at 3£ per cent, to ' complete the drainage of the town, was approved by resolution." I merely quoted that extract—and in a perfectly logical and relevant connection— and not until I saw Mr Kelliher's letter was I aware that the proposal had been put to a poll and defeated. Hence this attack, with all its laboured wit and satire, dissolves into thinnest air like a pricked bubble. And, furthermore, if Mr Kelliher values his own reputation, there is but one honourable course now open to him; that is, to retract and publicly apologise. In conclusion, permit me to state, for Mr Kelliher's enlightenment, that the points I made and emphasised in my address were as follows:—(i) That there is not less capital available for Masterton under No-License than there u:as under license, i.e.,the financiers and capitalists heve not lost faith in the town—their money is as ready for investment under No-License as under License, (ii) That the general tone of business has not, as a result' of NoLicense, gone down. (iii) That NoLicense has not had a detrimental effect morally. Now, as Mr Kelliher has shown that he has so much time on his hands, and so little to occupy it, let him disprove to the satisfaction of the people of Masterton those three points. That can be his only legitimate and honourable criticism of my speech.—l am, etc., CECIL J. TOCKER, Eltham, Sept. 28th. 1910. \. ,